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A door opening loudly gained Logan’s undivided attention. Roman had swung his door open and was holding onto the door frame like he was a man lamenting love at a lamppost. He gave Logan a huge smile.
“Logan! Are you busy?”
“A little. I am currently working on Thomas’ schedule for the Tuesday after next.”
“Wonderful! You needn’t do that right now, as that is almost two weeks away! Come with me.”
“Roman, I’d really rather-”
Roman shook his head no, walking over to the logical side. He pulled Logan up from where he was sitting by the tie and started to drag him out of the room.
Logan swatted Roman’s hands away and walked next to the princely side.
“Where are we going?”
“My room,” Roman replied, dragging out the last word.
“For what purpose?”
“Does everything need to have a purpose, Logan? Can we not spend time together as fellow sides?” Roman asked, sounding exasperated.
“If there is no discernible purpose to visiting your room then I request you allow me to return to mine so I can continue working on the schedule.”
“Two weeks, Logan. We have two weeks till you have to be done with that. You’ve been working for a few hours, you should take a break to spend time with me!” Roman stopped at the door to his room.
Logan sighed. “And what will we do?”
Roman opened the door to his room dramatically. “Manicures!”
Logan’s eyes widened and he turned around, starting to walk away. “No.”
Roman immediately reached out and grabbed Logan by the shirt collar, dragging him into his room. Roman then closed and locked the door.
“You could have choked me!” Logan exclaimed, rubbing at his neck. “Why would you do that?!”
Roman shrugged. “I wanna paint nails with you.”
“I assure you that any other side would be more tolerant of this activity than me.”
“Yeah, but I wanna paint nails with you. You. Not Janus or Patton or whatever. Wouldn’t my company make it more bearable?”
“Trust me when I say it would only make it worse.”
Roman walked over to the middle of his room where he had set up everything needed for a manicure.
“Too bad.” He flopped onto a beanbag. “We’re doing it.”
“I could sink out right-”
“Please,” Roman begged, giving him puppy-dog eyes.
Logan stared into Roman’s eyes for a minute. While Patton’s puppy-dog eyes were the hardest to resist, Roman’s were easy to fall for too and Logan might have had an itsy-bitsy, totally-not-huge-at-all crush on him. So, he sighed in defeat. He walked over to Roman and sat on the beanbag across from him.
“I have no idea how this works,” Logan stated.
Roman smiled. “I thought so. I’m gonna admit that I might have painted my nails before I came and got you because I figured you wouldn’t know how to do my nails. So, give me your left hand, please.”
---
Logan rested his hands on the short table they were at and watched as Roman retrieved the colored nail polish.
“Do I get to choose what color?” Logan asked, only half-sarcastic.
Roman shook his head. “No.”
Logan sighed. “I swear if you give me every color of the rainbow and sparkle it with glitter I will-”
Roman slammed the indigo nail polish onto the table in front of Logan. Logan tilted his head, looking at Roman sheepishly.
“Indigo is fine.”
“Even if it wasn’t, you’d be getting it anyway.”
Logan snorted. He watched as Roman delicately took his hand, the creative side unnecessarily running his thumb over the back of Logan’s hand. Logan resisted the urge to physically shudder, fixating his gaze on Roman’s face instead. It was screwed into focus as he applied the indigo to Logan’s hand. His gaze was squinted, his tongue was out to the side, and his eyebrows were furrowed.
“Roman?” Logan asked quietly.
“Mm-hmm?”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“To paint your nails.”
“Yeah, but why?”
Roman paused for a quick second, taking a half-second glance up at Logan. “I wanted to spend time with you.”
Logan stopped a blush from appearing on his face even though Roman likely wouldn’t see it. “Why nail-painting?”
Roman didn’t answer, only moving to the next hand.
Logan settled on watching Roman’s practiced movements; it was clear he had done this many times. Logan noticed Roman’s nails, which were red except for the index fingers which had the outline of an indigo heart drawn on them. Roman’s nails had been done with near perfection and Logan, despite his estrangement to the art of the manicure, couldn’t help but admire them.
“Your nail-painting skills are admirable, Roman,” Logan complimented. “I suspect you have done this many times before?”
Roman smiled slightly. “I have, Specs. And thank you.”
Logan nodded, frowning as he noticed how Roman was quick to end the conversation. “Are you alright, Roman? You are rarely this silent.” Roman all but flinched, and Logan backtracked. “Not that it’s a bad thing, and I would likely relish your quiet state in any other situation, but you expressed the desire to spend time together so-”
“I’m quite alright, Logan,” Roman interrupted. “Just lost in thought as well as focused. How has your day been?”
The corners of Logan’s lips twitched. “Fairly average, except for this. I was looking over the script you gave me last night a couple of hours before you brought me here. I think I will finish edits and suggestions by afternoon tomorrow.”
“And do you have an objection to every other sentence?” Roman asked jokingly.
“No, I have found it to be of high quality so far.”
“Thank you, Logan,” Roman said, the compliment making him smile.
“How about your day? I hope it has treated you well.”
“Well enough,” Roman stated. “I woke up a bit late, started brainstorming a short video, and then painted my nails, and now I’m here with you. So, each activity better than the last, I guess.”
“I am pleased my company has proved to be adequate by your standards.”
Roman laughed. “’Adequate’, oh, Logan. Your company is enjoyable and a privilege to be graced with, not adequate.”
Logan blushed.
“There! Now, for the red,” Roman said excitedly, putting away the indigo nail polish.
“The red?”
Roman got out the red nail polish and set it on the table. “The red.”
“You’ve done indigo already.”
“Observant,” Roman remarked sarcastically.
Roman snapped his fingers over Logan’s hands, and the nail polish immediately appeared to have dried. Logan then admired his right hand while Roman picked up his left.
After a moment, Roman set Logan’s hand down. “Alright, give me your right.”
Logan held out his right hand to Roman and looked at his left. Roman had drawn an outline of a red heart on his index finger. Logan’s lips parted, wanting to gasp but also not wanting to disturb Roman.
“Alright, time for the top coat.”
Logan drew his hand back and saw that Roman had put an outline of a red heart on his right index finger as well.
Roman snapped his fingers over Logan’s hands, drying the red hearts. He got out what Logan figured was used for a top coating, and started to apply it to Logan’s nails.
As he did so, he noticed the similarities between his and Roman’s nails. Roman’s nails were the same red used for the hearts on Logan’s index fingers, and the hearts on Roman’s indexes were the same indigo on Logan’s nails.
Logan ducked his head to blush. Indigo was his color and red was Roman’s. An indigo heart on Roman’s nails could be symbolic in some form. And the red heart on Logan’s fingers—well, Logan could only dream it meant Roman felt for him romantically. He watched as Roman finished with the top coat.
Roman closed the bottle and set it down. He snapped his fingers over Logan’s hands, effectively drying them.
“At last, I have finished!” He grinned triumphantly.
Logan looked at his nails with admiration. Indigo was his color, and red was the color of his love, so he couldn’t complain.
“You have,” Logan agreed.
Roman looked at Logan hopefully. “Do you like them?”
Logan met Roman’s gaze. “You have done an impressive job on them, Roman.”
Roman squealed in glee, promptly covering his mouth when he realized how childish his action was.
But Logan just laughed fondly, covering his smile with his hands.
Roman looked at Logan with adoration, leaning across the table to get closer to the logical side. He took Logan’s hands from his mouth, prompting Logan to freeze, biting his lip.
“Don’t cover your smile, Logan.”
“Laughter is illogical.”
“But it’s normal,” Roman contradicted, planting a kiss on his nose. “Anyway, my dear nerd, I suppose I have gotten my Logan fix for today, so I guess—” Roman seemed to hold distaste for what he was suggesting “—I shall permit your leave if you so desire.”
Logan’s face had reddened significantly from the kiss Roman had placed on his nose, and he couldn’t process anything for a moment.
“Roman?” he inquired shyly.
“Yes?”
“Why did you choose the colors you did?” Logan asked.
Roman didn’t respond for a second.
“I mean, I’d imagine you have a great deal at your disposal, and considering your over-the-top nature I would guess you would use as many as possible. However, you have only put two to use this entire day. Why is this?”
“Uh, Logan…”
“They’re our colors as well.” He looked at his nails again. “And while red is an appealing color, especially when it is used in relation to yourself, I don’t see how it relates to me like indigo does. Same with the indigo on your nails. Are we supposed to match? And if so, why?”
Logan could have been less direct, but he wanted to know why Roman had matched their nails. A heart could mean the most intimate of things and he didn’t want to figuratively live out his days in the dark.
Roman scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I thought it would be fun if we matched?” Roman offered, his voice sounding unsure. “I thought it would be cool and look nice?”
“And the hearts…”
Roman groaned and tugged at his hair. “I don’t know how…”
His eyes rested on Logan’s hands for a moment, an idea seeming to cross his mind. He took Logan’s right hand as a prince would a fair maiden and kissed the back of Logan’s hand. He then placed a kiss on the nail with the heart outline on it. Then, he pulled Logan up gently so the logical side was standing and took his other hand. Logan was flushing a deep red, but that would not deter Roman. He lifted Logan’s left hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the heart on his left index finger. He then slowly lowered Logan’s hand and stared Logan in the eyes.
Logan gulped but said nothing.
“I hope that explains things for you,” Roman said softly, letting go of Logan’s hands and starting to walk out of the room.
Logan was still for a moment, still in shock, before he regained his senses and went after Roman. He stopped the prince as he approached his door.
“Roman.”
The prince turned.
Logan stood himself in front of Roman and took his hands. He raised Roman’s right hand to his lips and kissed the heart on his index finger. He brought Roman’s left to his lips and did the same. He lowered Roman’s hands slowly before meeting his eyes, anxious he did something wrong.
Roman stared at him for a few moments. His face was pink and his eyes were wide. They kept eye contact, but then Roman decided to make a move.
He put his left hand on Logan’s shoulder and backed him into a wall beside the door. He placed the hand previously on Logan’s shoulder on the wall beside the intellectual’s head.
“May I kiss you?”
Logan nodded.
Roman wrapped his right arm around Logan’s waist immediately, pulling the logical side flush against him. He connected their lips in a searing kiss. Logan then wrapped his arms around Roman’s neck.
Roman took a step forward, pressing Logan harder against the wall but still having his body close to his. He took the hand that was on the wall and ran it through Logan’s hair as Logan wrapped a leg around Roman’s waist.
The two parted for air.
“You used nail polish to tell me you love me?” Logan asked, finding slight amusement in the situation.
“I don’t see you complaining.”
“Hmm, no.”
Logan reconnected their lips.